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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. hand — in cards
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. sharp — clever
  6. wind — moving air
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. can — a tin
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. season — in sport
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. can — a tin
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — help
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. cold — an illness
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. cold — not warm
  23. deal — to handle
  24. season — of the year

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com